About Singapore

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an
island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres
(85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north
of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi), Singapore is a
microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. It is substantially
larger than Monaco and Vatican City, the only other present-day sovereign
city-states.

Singapore is an alpha World City. Singapore is unique as it
is the only country in Asia which has English as its first language. Singapore
also has one of the highest percentage of foreigners in the world. 36% of the
population in Singapore are foreigners, making up approximately 1.3 Million of
the 5 million population, and foreigners make up 50% of the service sector in
Singapore.

Even before independence in 1965, Singapore was already one
of the richest states in East Asia due to its strategic location as a trading
port. Its GDP per capita then was $511, roughly the same as Portugal. In
comparison, both South

Korea and China had a GDP per capita of $105 and $90
respectively in 1965. After independence, Foreign direct investment into
Singapore and a state-led drive to industrialization based on plans drawn up by
Goh Keng Swee and Albert Winsemius have created a modern economy focused on
industry, education and urban planning. Singapore is the 5th wealthiest country
in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita and 23rd wealthiest in terms of
GDP (nominal) per capita. As of January 2009, Singapore's official foreign
reserves stand at US$170.3 billion (9th in the world). The city state is also
the second most crowded country in the world after Monaco.

The population of Singapore including non-residents is
approximately 4.99 million. Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse with
Chinese people forming an ethnic majority with large populations of Malay,
Indian and other people. English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese are the official
languages.

"Singapore" is the name of both the city and
country, which are the same entity. That is, the entire country constitutes a
single municipality. It is considered incorrect to call the city
"Singapore City."

Planning a trip in Singapore? You may book your hotel accommodations HERE.